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Halloween is 15 days away! Get those Halloween Party invitations in the mail, pronto! Invitations can be customized and in your inbox within 24 hours of purchase. They are easy-to-print from home or at any print shop. Full customer support available.

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We’re halfway through summer, and that means county fairs are coming soon! Plan your county fair carnival themed party around these invitations from thelittledabbler! Custom colors are available upon request!

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Happy new year! 2016 will bring some exciting changes to thelittledabbler. This blog will undergo a complete content change. While I will continue to post about parenting and children, I’m going to add a new element in the form of child-friendly entertainment.

If you are a parent of young children who watch YouTube videos, you may have seen Ryan ToysReview and TheEngineeringFamily. These YouTube channels featured two children who open surprise eggs, go on fun adventure, and make-believe. My son (also named Ryan), has become slightly addicted to these two channels. In the spirit of fun, we’re going to start our own series called “Present in the Mail”. Each video will featured Ryan opening packages that “came in the mail” and the fun that ensues!

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It’s almost New Years! I couldn’t be any more excited to leave this past year behind and enter into the new. There were many high points — my business taking off and buying a new house — but there were so many low points that I’d rather leave 2014 behind.

Before we can usher in 2015, it’s traditional to decide on a New Year’s Resolution. While talking with my friend, The Wise Wife, about keeping my resolution for the first time in 2014, I decided to create a list of doable resolutions and share my tips for those who have never kept a resolution.

ADD to Your Life

The first tip in keeping a resolution is to make it something that adds to your life rather than takes away. For example, instead of making a resolution to lose weight, make a resolution to add one fresh vegetable or fruit serving to your diet each day. This way, you won’t feel as though you are depriving yourself and are more likely to stick with the plan.

Don’t Focus On The Bad

By the same token, if you are going to keep a resolution, you need to focus on your good qualities instead of the bad. If you make a resolution to lose weight, you are focusing on the bad (the weight). Consider your good qualities or skills and find ways to accentuate them. Are you an excellent cook? Challenge your culinary skills by incorporating a vegan or vegetarian meal into your diet once a week. Are you good at working with a team? Consider volunteering at a food bank or animal shelter twice a month.

Set Realistic Standards

You are NOT going to start jogging after dinner every night. You are NOT going to deep clean one room a week. You also are NOT going to rid yourself of all your skinny clothes because you will inevitably burn out, postpone, or find those 10 shirts you just can’t bear to part with. Pick your resolution and then set realistic time frames, quantities and standards.

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Easy Resolution Cheat Sheet

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Still not sure of a resolution? Here are some DOABLE resolutions.

1.) Volunteer at __________ once a month.

2.) Add family time to your week by eating dinner at the table (NO phones or television) on weeknights.

3.) Add jogging after work for 30 minutes one day a week.

4.) Add organization to your life by buying organizers, then declutter and purge one room once a month.

5.) Add a sense of involvement and fulfillment to your life by donating to your choice charity for every holiday (including Memorial Day, Labor Day, etc.)

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The Resolution I Kept

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My resolution for 2014 was every time I am asked by an individual, organization, family, or friend to donate to a cause (so long as I don’t have a moral objection to the cause) I will secretly donate. It was difficult keeping the resolution, especially when we hit financial straights, and I wouldn’t have been able to do it (or keep in secret) without the good fortune of my Etsy shop taking off this year.

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The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children under two years of age not be exposed to any screen time (source). While that’s obviously impractical for many reasons — how do you prevent inadvertent watching? — parents need to find the right balance so their children don’t become entirely dependent on technology for entertainment.

Encourage children to put down the technology with these four simple tips:

1.) Playing WITH them with their non-electronic toys. You’re never too old to make-believe with your child. Show your child how much fun (even if you have to fake it) it is to play with non-electronic toys that require imaginative play. When your child comes up with his own story line for make-believe, make a big deal of it and praise him or her for being creative. This will encourage your child to engage in more creative activities.

2.) Limit screen time. Get a timer, set it, and stick to it.

3.) Make screen time count by ensuring the programs she is watching and the games she is playing are educational. Sorry, Spongebob, but you just won’t make the cut.

4.) DO NOT GIVE YOUR CHILDREN SMARTPHONES. This one irritates me for several reasons, the biggest being the security risk for the child. No child needs a smartphone. The excuse that “if my child needs to call me in an emergency” doesn’t excuse all the bells and whistles of a smartphone. How many times have I taken my toddler to the park and not a single swing was available because a bunch of five-year-olds had their butts planted on the seats, texting away on their smartphones. How many times have I had to pause pushing my cart at the grocery store to allow a child to pass because he was so engrossed in his smartphone that he wasn’t paying attention to where he was going. Bottom line, kids don’t need smartphones.

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